Hamburg’s newest salon will carry all earth-friendly products

Thursday January 3, 2013 | By:Alicia Greco, The Sun staff reporter |

COMING SOON — Elle Salon, an Aveda concept salon, will open at 195 Lake St. in the village of Hamburg by early 2014. The message on the sign outside of the location will be updated, as the business’s status progresses. Photo by Alicia Greco.

HAMBURG — Aveda™, a company that carries organic and natural hair and skin care products, has a stated mission “to care for the world we live in, from the products we make, to the ways in which we give back to society. At Aveda, we strive to set an example.”

Elle Salon, which will be opening in the village of Hamburg, is an Aveda concept salon, which means that the shop reflects Aveda’s mission statement and shelves its products, exclusively.

Lisa Pliszka, the owner of the current Elle Salon location in Lancaster, is a graduate of Frontier High School and is a long-time resident of the town of Hamburg.

“My goal was to have another [salon] closer to home,” she said.

The Hamburg location will soon open at 195 Lake St., in a building that is approximately 113 years old.

Pliszka said that the new facility “was in incredibly good shape to begin with,” but is currently undergoing hardwood floor renovations and other construction, to make it salon-ready. She and her family members are doing the work themselves.

“It’s a little treasure in the village that we fell upon ... trying to keep a nice gold charm,” Pliszka said, in reference to the historical building. “To me, it’s an honor to be able to own something in the village.”

The first floor of the Lake Street location will focus on hair services, with approximately eight stations. The second floor will house a spa, which will feature manicures, pedicures, facials, massages and waxing.

Pliszka, who has a degree in cosmetology, furthered her education with Aveda and is currently certified with that company, through Aveda Academy.

Six years ago, she opened Elle Salon in Lancaster, located at 4729 Transit Road No. 3. This is also an Aveda concept salon.

According to Pliszka, the Hamburg shop will be strictly and exclusively shelved with that company’s products.

“The product is driven by organic instead of synthetics,” she said. Hair color, for example, is derived from renewable resources such as a plant or flower. She said that Aveda is “environmentally conscious of what they’re putting into the bottle.”

As a concept salon, Pliszka said her “obligation to Aveda is to uphold their mission and [be] true to the environment.” She explained that the reason Aveda is exclusively sold in certain salons is so customers who are interested in purchasing the product will be educated by the trained stylists, prior to buying.

A projected opening day is not officially set, according to Pliszka, but she said she hopes it will be some time in early 2014. Seeking to hire locally, she said she is “looking forward to fresh talent and for them to join our family.

“Our Elle Salon family looks forward to venturing into a growing village,” Pliszka added. “I’m so impressed with how the village is evolving and we’d like to be a part of it.”